Last Friday, May 31, I had
the pleasure of seeing Capital Cities perform live at Ace of Spades.
Their electrifying performance was catchy and uplifting. The band took
the stage with their signature neon-lighted sunglasses that rapidly
changed color throughout the performance. Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian
are the frontmen of the alternative dance group, which started after
signing a record deal with Capitol Records in December 2012. The band
is known for their electric pop catchy sound that makes the audience
catch the jitterbug on the dance floor.

Since their record deal,
the band has been touring, often seen wearing matching jackets and always
teaching the crowd the “Capital Cities Shuffle” while performing
“Center Stage.” The catchy tune provides a great beat for
the band to show off their creative spinoff of the electric slide. It
was very fun to go to a performance where the band really engages with
the audience. It gave the performance a personality that allowed me
to connect with the live performance and really get into it.

I really admired Spencer
Ludwig’s stage presence. During the opening song, “Kangaroo
Court,” there was a trumpet solo where he stole the stage, allowing
me to accurately capture his enthusiastic energy in the photo above.
He’s a statement maker through his stage presence and it was absolutely
inspiring to watch. Whether it’s through his fashion sense or
during his trumpet solos, he hardly ever falls into the background during
a performance.

I just want to take a second
to point out Ludwig’s outfit for the performance. I loved his
crazy printed Keith Haring skirt that really complimented his neon socks,
which really made his outfit pop. The vibrantly colored outfit also
suits the band’s style well and really highlights his electric
personality on stage. The skinny jeans in combination with their matching
jackets really took me back to the 90s and I thought he rocked it perfectly.

It’s always fun seeing
a band live, with all their raw emotion and sweat, and getting the opportunity
to connect with them as artists on a deeper level than just listening
to their songs on Pandora or iTunes. However their album, “In
A Tidal Wave of Mystery,” was just released Tuesday, June 4. If
you missed out on their performance last Friday, be sure to tune in
to “Conan” on Thursday, June 6, on TNT. They are now headed
to Southern California to play in Anaheim on June 5, and in Los Angeles
on June 6 and June 7. Be sure to check out my vines from the performance
(user name Tori Kobayashi) and more photos on my personal blog!